Panaji,  Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday welcomed the initiatives announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to provide relief to the tourism sector.

"I have not got the details yet. Once I get it, I will brief the media. But I welcome the step," Sawant said.

Earlier on Monday, Sitharaman unveiled a series of measures to boost the Covid-hit tourism sector by announcing five lakh free tourist visas for international travellers and a financial package for registered travel agencies and tourist guides, among other loan benefits, in order to resume business activity which has been crippled by the pandemic.

Goa is one of the most popular beach and nightlife tourism destinations in the country. Before the pandemic paralysed the industry, nearly eight million tourist arrivals were recorded in the state in 2019.